Salary: £64,844 - £68,987 per annum
Hours per week: 37 hours
Interview date: To be confirmed following shortlisting
Do you thrive on solving complex challenges, influencing strategic decisions, and driving organisational change? As Head of Finance – Place, you will provide strategic leadership to a high-performing finance business partnering team, helping shape services, deliver value for money, and support the Council's long-term financial sustainability.
This is a highly visible management accounting role, focused on financial planning, business partnering, transformation, and decision support rather than statutory financial accounting. You will lead and develop the Place Finance team, overseeing recruitment, performance management, and professional development, while playing a key role as a member of both the Finance Senior Leadership Team and the Place Services Senior Management Team.
Working closely with senior leaders, Members, HR, and external partners, you will provide strategic financial advice, challenge, and insight on complex business cases, major programmes, and high-value procurement activity. As the lead Finance Business Partner for Place, you will support large-scale projects including depot strategy development, major contract procurements and mobilisations, and other transformational initiatives.
You will champion continuous improvement across the finance service, leading change projects, driving efficiencies, delivering training, and supporting the implementation of innovative systems and processes, including the rollout of a new Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) system. You will also lead on establishment control and workforce financial planning, working collaboratively with HR to develop position-level budgeting and reporting.
Leading the financial planning process for a portfolio exceeding £100m, you will oversee in-year budgeting and forecasting, provide reporting and commentary to senior managers and Cabinet, and play a pivotal role in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), assessing demand and inflation pressures, identifying savings opportunities, and developing income and fees-and-charges proposals to support sustainable service delivery.
This is an opportunity to make a significant impact, influencing strategic decisions, leading organisational change, and helping secure the Council's long-term financial sustainability. If you're ready to lead and make a difference, we'd love to hear from you.
Why us?
Wiltshire Council is a friendly, welcoming place to work, with a 'One Council' ethos. Find out more about Our Identity, staff networks, and employee benefits here.
Our hybrid working model means office staff are on site for at least half their hours, community-based staff carry out at least half their admin time in a workplace, and customer‑facing roles work entirely from their service location.
We are committed to creating a workplace where positive relationships thrive and everyone feels engaged, supported and able to do their best. We do not tolerate discrimination, bullying or harassment. Everyone is expected to promote a culture of inclusion, dignity, trust and respect, guided by our vision and Our Identity.
Contact Details
Sarah Higgins, Director of Finance and Procurement [email protected]
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Application Criteria
Please download and read the role description and person specification carefully before you apply
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We are firmly committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and to the principles of inclusion and diversity in both employment and the delivery of services.
Statement of commitment to equality and inclusion
Disability Confident Employer
Application process
Wiltshire Council does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate details from recruitment agencies that are not appointed under a current, valid contract or approved supplier arrangement (including through our neutral vendor, Comensura).
Submission of unsolicited CVs or candidate details to the Council, whether directly or to individual employees, will not be considered as an introduction and will not create any obligation on the Council to pay any fees. If a candidate whose details have been submitted speculatively is subsequently appointed through a compliant route, no agency fee will be payable in respect of the unsolicited submission.
Agencies wishing to work with the Council must do so only via our approved procurement processes and neutral vendor arrangements.
